Electric vehicles (EVs) are vehicles that may be propelled by one or more electric motors that may be powered by rechargeable battery packs. EVs may include plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), as well as other types of vehicles which may be powered either in whole or in part by an electric motor.
A plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is a motor vehicle that may be recharged from an external source of electricity, such as a wall socket or a charging station. The electricity stored in the rechargeable battery packs may be used to drive the wheels of the PEV.
An HEV is a vehicle which may have an electric motor and an internal combustion engine (ICE). A PHEV is a type of hybrid vehicle which may use rechargeable batteries, or other energy storage devices (hereinafter rechargeable batteries) to power the electric motor, that may be restored to full charge by connecting the rechargeable batteries via a plug to an external electric power source such as an electric wall socket or a charging station. The rechargeable batteries may also be recharged through operation of the ICE.
EVs may have on-board and off-board power consuming systems and/or devices (hereinafter on-board systems and off-board systems), in addition to the EV drive systems. On-board systems may include vehicle safety systems and sensors, vehicle lighting, heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems of the vehicle, vehicle telematic systems, vehicle radio and entertainment devices, as well as other on-board systems. An off-board system may be defined as a power consuming system that may be coupled to the PHEV as an aftermarket accessory, or a system that may draw power from the vehicle through a vehicle 12 volt outlet, USB port, or via a direct connection to the vehicle power supply terminals. The power demand of the aforementioned vehicle on-board systems and off-board systems may limit the operating range of the EV, and cause undue strain on the vehicle's power supply and energy storage devices.
EVs may have a power management system (PMS) to distribute vehicle power demand between the different on-board power usage systems. While the PMS of the EV may control the distribution of vehicle power between the different on-board systems, power management of off-board systems is presently not supported. Since power management of off-board systems is presently not supported, users may not be able to set a charge level and/or power level for off-board devices coupled to the EV in order to preserve the vehicle's power supply and energy storage devices.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method that overcome the above identified concerns, as well as additional challenges which will become apparent from the disclosure set forth below.